He also confirmed that discussions had taken place about the conditions under which the Hungarian company MOL could acquire the Serbian oil refinery NIS. Orbán added that US President Donald Trump has a standing invitation to visit Hungary.

Rubio hails ‘golden age’ in relations

Rubio, who was visiting Budapest for the first time, praised the city and the venue of the talks. He said it was no exaggeration to speak of a ‘golden age’ in relations between the two countries. According to him, the relationship rests not only on cooperation between states but also on the personal ties between Prime Minister Orbán and President Trump.

The US Secretary of State also said that if Hungary were to face difficulties, the United States would be ready to help, including financially. Washington, he stressed, wants to continue strengthening the relationship, particularly while Orbán remains prime minister.

‘President Trump is deeply committed to your success because your success is our success,’ Rubio said, standing beside Orbán. ‘We want this country to prosper. It is in our national interest, especially while you are prime minister and leader of this country,’ he added, noting that voters will ultimately decide Hungary’s political direction after the April parliamentary elections.

Hungary is due to hold parliamentary elections on 12 April and, according to opinion polls, Orbán faces his toughest challenge since his Fidesz party returned to power with a landslide victory in 2010.

Relations with Ukraine and China

During the press conference, questions were also raised about Ukraine. Orbán said he did not want to involve Rubio in Hungary’s domestic politics, but argued that Ukraine was closely watching what kind of government Hungarians would choose after the elections.

According to the prime minister, two scenarios are possible: a government that defends Hungarian interests, or one that is friendly towards Ukraine. He also claimed that Ukrainians were financing his political opponents. Rubio responded that the United States’ priority is to end the war and bring both sides to the negotiating table.

Questions were also raised about Hungary’s relations with China. The US Secretary of State said there are areas where the interests of the two countries coincide and others where they diverge, but stressed that maintaining dialogue remains important.

He noted that the United States itself maintains relations with China and does not expect its partners to isolate themselves.

Orbán said the foundation of Hungarian foreign policy is NATO membership, which sets clear limits on cooperation in security matters. In trade and economic relations, however, Hungary also works with countries outside the North Atlantic Alliance.

‘If someone doesn’t like it, let me know and we’ll talk about it,’ he said. According to Orbán, the most straightforward approach is simply to tell the Americans openly what the country’s leaders think. He added that since Trump became president there has not been a single point of conflict in bilateral relations.

(reuters, max)